I was there to listen, and was struck by how subdued Brown's pitch for his budget proposal, including extensions of temporary tax increases, turned out to be. The governor was funny, pitching his taxes as not taxes but as a preservation of the status quo that businesses wouldn't notice. But he also offered no clear way out of the fix, perhaps because there is no way. Impossibility and all.

One note: Brown said he doesn't use Teleprompters "because I don't believe in them" but he appeared to be using the Teleprompters during his speech, making the telltale head turn from one hidden screen to the other throughout the address. UPDATE: Steve Glazer, a top advisor to Brown, emails to say that Brown didn't use the Teleprompter.